ABOUT two million Sinovac vaccine recipients are set to lose their fully vaccinated status on April 1, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

“We found that 2.09 million Sinovac recipients have not been boosted,” he told a press conference in Parliament today.

“In a week’s time, we expect there will be two million of Sinovac recipients who will lose their fully vaccinated status.”

On December 16, Khairy announced that full vaccination privileges will be withdrawn from Sinovac vaccine recipients as well as those aged 60 and above if they do not get a booster dose by February 28.

On February 24, the government extended the deadline to March 31. 

Khairy said for those planning to visit Singapore once the border reopens, the republic also requires a third dose for Sinovac recipients to be considered fully vaccinated.

“If you want to enjoy your visit to Singapore without quarantine, you know what to do,” he said. 

Initially, those who were inoculated with Sinovac were asked to get a booster dose of a different vaccine as Sinovac was reportedly not as effective against the Omicron variant.

Subsequently, the government allowed Sinovac recipients to book a Sinovac booster, citing data that showed a high number of Sinovac recipients were hesitant to receive vaccines from other makers. – March 24, 2022.